Upload
dinhhanh
View
216
Download
2
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Sterling Heritage Farms Receives
“Outstanding Operational
Achievement” Award
Brighton, IL January 21, 2013 – Sterling Heritage
Farms was presented the “Outstanding Operational
Achievement” Award by FamilyFarms Group in
recognition of their active efforts in continual im-
provement of their business skills. The award, pre-
sented in Phoenix, AZ on January 15th, recognizes a
farming operation’s commitment to training, im-
plementation, and excellence in key areas.
“In today’s rapidly changing world, farm families
must be willing to envision the future of crop pro-
duction,” said Allen Lash, FamilyFarms Group CEO.
He continued, “Those who cannot envision and
adapt will be left behind. Sterling Heritage Farms
exemplifies the willingness to invest now in training
and implementation of best business skills which
will help them compete successfully now and in the
future.”
Sterling Heritage Farms personnel, led by owners
Jon and Heather Oden, have successfully complet-
ed training and implementation in the areas of cri-
sis management, communication, employee hand-
books, control systems, marketing and business
development planning, landowner relations and
more. In addition, the Odens actively participate in
their community through leadership, donations,
and involvement.
Sterling Heritage Farms is a family farm operation
in Sterling, KS. For more information about Sterling
Heritage Farms, visit their web site at:
www.sterlingheritagefarms.com.
FamilyFarms Group is based in Brighton, IL. Dedi-
cated to helping farm families compete more suc-
cessfully in the rapidly changing row crop produc-
tion industry, FamilyFarms Group provides consul-
tation, training and implementation assistance to
help producers reach their objectives by develop-
ing enhanced business skills and processes.
Ciao! I’m Otis. That’s me with the bone on the
left. My brother is Milo; he’s the quiet one. We
adopted the Odens almost three years ago and I
must say, it’s a dog’s dream here at Sterling
Heritage Farms. We have a Brittany friend
named Brandi. She’s actually been around here
the longest, but she let’s me pretend like I’m the
leader of the Pack….most of the time. I’m going
to write about our adventures here at the farm
and keep you up-to-date on all of the REAL
happenings here….the behind-the-scenes stuff.
I’ll look forward to sharing with you next time!
The Adventures of Milo and Otis
(and sometimes Brandi)
THE DOGGIE BLOG
Jon Oden [email protected] 620-278-6410
Heather Oden [email protected] 620-204-0171
Jeff Pieplow [email protected] 620-904-7067
Kenny Tucker [email protected] 620-257-8488
Direct Payments with FSA—
June/July
Dates to
Remember
CRP Sign Up—May 20th
Moisture…a
blessing from the
Lord!
After receiving
few rainfall
events October
through Janu-
ary, things finally changed in February and March,
with four snow and rain events. With approximately 2
inches of moisture in February and 1 inch in March
(as of the 28th), soil moisture conditions have im-
proved quite a bit. Through mid-February many fields
following row crops or alfalfa had moisture only a few
inches deep into the soil. As of this week, those fields
now have 2 to 3 feet of soil moisture, while that won’t
”make” the wheat crop planted into soybean stubble,
it will carry the wheat for the few next weeks as tem-
peratures and moisture uptake increases. Normally
we average 8 to 10 inches of rainfall during the April
to mid-June time frame, so there are still plenty of
chances to add more yield potential. The wheat plant-
ed into last year’s wheat stubble is running 4 to 6 feet
depth of soil moisture, so it has good potential regard-
less of the weather.
Since we talked to you last, we have been attending
meetings, planning for the upcoming growing season,
caring for cattle, winter maintenance, topdressing
wheat, applying ammonia, and numerous other tasks.
We seem to be back to a more “normal” spring with the
wheat actually a bit behind normal in growth. I would
expect most of the wheat to be entering the jointing
stage about the first 10 days of April, which is a week or
two behind normal, and well behind the 2012 season,
when the wheat had flag leaves emerging the first week
of April! That’s not necessarily a bad thing though, since
a slow steady grain fill period often results in good
yields…but that will depend mostly on our April and May
weather. Looking at the weather forecast, I would ex-
KENNY’S CORNER KENNY TUCKER - AGRONOMY AND PRODUCTION IT SPEACIALIST
IT’S HERE!
activities, how you overcome barriers in the AG market, and keep a good work/life balance.”
Heather was one of two speakers for the event. Carol Keiser-Long also presented. Having grown up in
agriculture, Carol spoke of her struggles and victories in a field dominated by men. She now owns two
businesses and advocates on the national level for children’s safety on the farm. Heather spoke about
her changing roles within their fifth-generation operation. Having come from an off-farm background,
part of the rationale behind the sharing of Heather’s story was that many, if not most, of the AGCO em-
ployees do not have farming backgrounds either. The Industry Training Committee felt their target audi-
ence would be able to relate to Heather’s story and hoped that hearing her message would inspire those
with similar off-farm backgrounds to see the changing face of agriculture and how each person’s unique
skills and backgrounds can create success in the changing landscape of agriculture. Throughout Heather’s
presentation, Jon interjected with information from his vantage point. He shared about how their part-
nership now is extremely positive and how their individual abilities actually compliment each other. As
one audience member emphatically remarked after hearing the presentation, “Now THAT is a partner-
ship!”
Take a look at this bad boy! This
is an AGCO Challenger MT765D
and we get to use it for free for 4
months because we are the
recipients of the Outstanding
Operational Achievement Award!
SHF had the pleasure of hosting a group of Delaware youth from Urban Promise. According to their web site: “The mission of UrbanPromise Wilmington is to equip children and young adults through Christ with the skills necessary for academic achievement, life management,
personal growth and servant leadership. Our vision is to be a community in Christ of servant leadership and transformation, seeking a full life for all involved: urban youth, families, staff, and volunteers in the neighborhoods of our city.” The day was filled with farm
tours, tractor and four-wheeler rides, basketball, and food. To find out more about Urban Promise and how you can support them, visit their web site at: www.urbanpromise.org or visit our site: www.sterlingheritagefarms.com and click on “Giving Back”.
Urban Promise Comes to Sterling Heritage Farms
HOPE ON THE HORIZON
Heather Speaks At AGCO HQ
AGCO, manufacturer of farm equipment, hosted an indus-
try training event called, “A Day in the Life of a Female
Farmer.” Melissa Leard, Pricing Manager for AGCO and
chair of the Industry Training Subcommittee contacted
Heather after having been given Heather’s name by Steve
Gorsuch, the Director of National Account Sales. “We
would like you to come to our Duluth Office and speak to
our Women’s Group (AGWN) to discuss your day to day
Heather Invited to Speak at AGCO